MLB Spring Training is back and in good spirits

It’s been four years since Major League Baseball conducted “normal” spring training.

First of all, there was the “stay home era”.

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Baseball looked (relatively) normal until March 11, 2020, when an uncharacteristic rainstorm canceled all Cactus League games that day in Arizona, but COVID-19 left the world on that night. was just shutting down.

It was a long winter for the cacti and grapefruits even after the winter was over.

There was “the era of zip ties”.

Photo by Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

A normal schedule was planned for 2021, but capacity restrictions resulted in very high ticket prices. For some, third-party sites were their only hope, and they taught a tough lesson about supply and demand.

Capacity returned to normal in 2021, but it took Coors Field until late June to reach 100% capacity again.

MLB postseason progresses from COVID-induced neutral site to home field-favorable sellouts. It was an “abbreviated normal” with Especially in July when the All-Star Game helped Rockies fans make up for lost time.

But for people in Arizona and Florida, the whole year has been too quiet.

Fresh in our minds is the 2021-22 MLB Lockout. It started on December 2, 2021 and ended on March 10, 2022. Spring training games, originally scheduled to start on February 26, have been postponed for nearly three weeks.

Some didn’t make any travel plans last year, knowing that the uncertainty of the lockout might prevent them from playing the baseball they were looking for. It may have been canceled when

Some teams resumed action on March 17, just seven days after the lockout ended. (Some players didn’t arrive on time, let alone fans.) The gates were packed again, but the seven-day notice kept many away.

A week after the 2022 Cactus League, 6 of the 15 Arizona-based teams averaged less than 5,000 fans per game.

The last “normal” year was 2019. No one was below that threshold at the time.

Revival

The outlook for 2023 has never been better for lovers of standard baseball calendar sanity. Attending the World Baseball Classic gives him one of the brightest prospects in spring training history.

literally.

2023 Spring Training – Colorado Rockies

• 34 match schedule
• 18 Upcoming games at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick
• twenty two Talking Stick Salt River Fields or any game within a 12 mile radius
• 2 Game at the Las Vegas Ballpark! (Not your traditional Arizona, but still pretty cool.)
• 1 Exhibition with Team Mexico

2023 Spring Training – Greater Phoenix

• 230 Upcoming Cactus League games between MLB teams
• 241 Games featuring at least one MLB team (including WBC and MLB vs. NCAA exhibitions)
• 250 Games featuring at least one MLB or WBC team
• Ten Game at Chase Field (World Baseball Classic Pool C: Canada, Columbia, Great Britain, Mexico, USA)
• 11 Various ballparks (including Chase Field/World Baseball Classic)

With so much going on and so much back to normal, it’s not a bad time to visit.

If you’re a Rocky fan, what time is it teeth the best?

March 9-12

COL vs. Mexico | COL vs. SF | COL vs. SEA | ARI vs. COL

During this period, the Rockies will play four games at their spring home of Salt River Field at Talking Stick. One of which is his “road” game with the Diamondbacks, with whom he shares a complex. If you’re a strictly baseball player who likes to take Uber and stay in a Scottsdale hotel, there’s not much need to rent a car during this time.

On March 12th, the final day of this five-day window, Team USA will face Team Mexico inside Chase Field at 7pm.

March 13-16

OAK vs COL | COL vs CHC (Night) | COL vs LAD | SD vs COL

This four-game stretch will allow fans to visit three different ballparks in the Cactus League. The Cubs’ Sloan Park draws the most attendance of all of spring training. Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ spring home, Camelback Ranch (shared with the White Sox), was planned by the same architect who designed the Salt of his Stick River He Field.

This stretch will also run back-to-back over the final three days of the World Baseball Classic Pool C, helping fans tick the box at a big league stadium if they so desire.

March 20-26

LAD vs COL | COL @ SD | LAA vs COL | OFF | COL @ MIL (Split Squad) | CLE vs COL

This is the proverbial “sweet spot” in the game, where everyday big leaguers and top starters can increase their workload.

The Rockies kick off the regular season on March 30th, and the days leading up to it can look more like a tune-up than a build-up, so a few days earlier can lead to a higher workload. I have.

February 6th to March 28th

Given the time and resources, this mega window includes the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona, all 2023 Cactus League games, and the World Baseball Classic Pool C. Proximity to San Diego, where the Rockies start his regular season on March 30th.

(Bonus for 2024: The Final Four will also be held in Phoenix.)

After all, there are really no bad times. With so many baseballs in such a close radius, any time frame is a good window.

Most importantly, it’s back to normal.

Long time no see.